SIR FRANCIS DRAKE SIR FRANCIS DRAKE The Buccaneer (1545 - 1596) Frances Drake was born in Devon, England, the son of a puritan farmer and preacher. He learned sailing as a young man, serving as an apprentice to the master of a small coastal merchant ship. His master, left young Drake the ship on his death. He later served some time as an officer aboard a West African slaver. He was the first Englishman to sail around the world and very instrumental in the defeat of the Spanish Armada sent to invade England. He made three voyages to the New World, where he plundering Spanish settlements and captured and destroying Spanish ships. In 1572, he marched across the Isthmus of Panama. Drake's first visit to the New World, was aboard a slaver, commanded by John Lovell in 1564. After picking up a cargo of slaves from Africa, they sailed to the West Indies, selling the slaves, while hiding from the Spanish authorities. By treaty, the English were prohibited from trading with the Spanish towns along the coast.

Drake made his next excursion against the Spanish Main when he accompanying his cousin John Hawkins, on his third and last expedition. Hawkins's squadron, consisting of six ships, sailed from Plymouth on October, 2, 1567. After securing a cargo of African slaves, they coasted along the shores of North America, selling their slaves. When he tried to sell slaves at the Spanish port of Rio Hacha, he was prohibited. In retaliation, he attacked and captured the town in 1568. He was able to sell some two hundred of his slaves. Sailing to San Juan de Ulloa (Vera Cruz) in the Gulf of Mexico, they were intercepted by a fleet of thirteen armed Spanish ships, under the command of Alvarez de Bazan. The English were severely defeated and only two of their ships, the Minion (Hawkins' flag ship) of 100 tons, and the Judith (commanded by Drake) of 50 tons escaped, making it back to England in 1569. Drake developed a deep hatred for the Catholic Spaniards and vowed to get even.

In the following years, 1570 and 1571, Drake sailed the Spanish Main on two voyages of exploration. He not only traded with the inhabitants, but also studies the coast of Darien, and learned all he could about the route taken by the Treasure Train, as it crossed the Isthmus of Panama, loaded with gold from Panama to Nombre de Diï¿½s. In May of 1572, he again sailed from Plymouth with two ships. The Pasha of 70 tons, and the Swan of 25 tons and 73 men. On this trip were two of his brothers, Charles and John Drake. The landed in a hidden harbor in the Gulf of Darien, which he had discovered earlier. There, he was joined by James Rause, who commanded his own English ship and two Spanish ships he had captured. They later sailed to Isla de Pinos, off the coast of Cuba, where Rause was left to guard the ships. Drake left with 73 men, in some small boats, hoping to capture Nombre de Diï¿½s.

After some fierce fighting, he was able to capture the town on July 29, 1572. As the garrison was regrouping, and reinforcements arrived from Panama, and Drake had been severely wounded, the English made a hasty retreat with very little booty. The urgency of their haste, was very upsetting to them, since they left behind silver bars, in excess of a million pounds Sterling, and much gold, pearls and jewels, that were stored in the Royal Treasure House. The English were able to get back to Isla de Pinos, where Rause returned to England, and Drake continued his attempts to capture Spanish Treasures. Drake captured several Spanish ships along the coast of Cartagena. He would hide in the secret bay on the coast of Darien, which his men had given the name of Port Plenty. This was because of the large amounts of stores, that they had accumulated, and stored there. Drake left his brother in charge of Port Plenty, as he continued to sail the coast of Darien, capturing Spanish vessels has he went, and all the while, making plans for his overland capture of the Gold Train, as it crossed the Isthmus.

On returning from one of his excursion, he learned that his brother John, had been killed, attempting to capture a Spanish ship Since it was the rainy season, no Gold Trains, were leaving Panama, so he had to wait. When the dry season, arrived, they were attacked by the Spanish, and he lost twenty-eight men, including his remaining brother. The escaped Negro slaves, that had befriended Drake, soon informed him that the Spanish Galleons were starting to gather in Nombre de Diï¿½s, meaning the Gold Trains would soon start crossing the Isthmus. Early in February of 1573, leaving all of the sick and some healthy men behind to guard their ships, he set out with eighteen men, to capture the Gold Train. Along the way, he was joined by thirty Cimarron's, with their chief, Pedro. After a weeks march, he climbed a tree, and was able to see the Pacific Ocean. Three days later, they were out side, the city of Old Panama from where they could easily see the ships that had arrived from Peru with the Treasures for Spanish King. Learning when the mule train, was to leave, he when back towards the town of Cruces.

There he divided his forces into two teams, stationing on group on one side of the Camino Real, and the other group on the other side. Both groups were about fifty yards apart, hoping to attack the mule train from both sides, and preventing any of the mules from escaping. The plan was very good, but failed. To avoid being hit in the cross fire, his men put their shirts on over their armor, so they could recognize themselves in the battle. Unfortunately, on of the men, Robert Pike, was so drunk, that he stood up early, and was spotted by one of the sentries, who gave the alarm. Having failed on capturing the mule train, Drake captured the town of Cruces, but found no treasure there. Within a week, they crossed the Isthmus and were back in their camp. Drake then turned his attention to capturing a galleons he heard that was taking on gold at Veraguas. He sailed from Port Plenty, with one ship hoping to capture the Treasure Ship in the harbor. As they approached the town of Belen, they were spotted and the alarm was given, and the whole coast line was alerted. He gave up, and returned to Port Plenty.

His Cimarron's spies informed him that three pack trains of bullion, with 190 mules each was headed to Nombre de Diï¿½s and was scheduled to arrive there on April 1st.. He quickly got a force together of fifteen Englishmen, Twenty Frenchmen and some Cimarron's, on March 30th, and landed his force near Nombre de Diï¿½s. He stationed his force in the jungle, about a mile back from the town, along the Los Camino Real. They were able to capture the mule train, after some heaving fighting, and made off with all the treasure they could carry. They were upset at leaving about fifteen tons of silver bars. After reaching their ships, and dividing the treasure among all present, the set sail back to England. They arrived in Plymouth on Sunday, August 9, 1573. Drake's next voyage would end up with him sailing around the world, from 1577 to 1580. He had the secret financial support of Queen Elizabeth I and the war party in her council. They hoped that his trip would end the Spanish monopoly of trade in the Pacific.

It was 85 years after Columbus had discovered the Americas and the Spanish and Portuguese had a hold on all the gold coming out of the New World and Queen Elizabeth wanted it for England. Drake's official mission was to plunder the gold laden Spanish galleons and to establish trade links with East Asia. Drake set sail from England with three galleons and two supply ships, which he planned to abandon, when he reached his destination. heading to the Strait of Magellan. Drake sailed with the queenï¿½s courtesan and his friend Thomas Doughty. After harsh weather, and very rough sailing, Thomas Doughty turned into a mutineer, convincing Drakeï¿½s exhausted crew to revolt against their captain. Drakeï¿½s reaction was ruthless. When Drake reached his destination on the West Coast of South America, Drake had Doughty convicted of mutineer by a military court-martial, and was beheaded. After this incident, Drake changed his shipï¿½s name to "Golden Hind". By the time they had crossed the 330 miles of the Straits of Magellan, he had lost four of his ships.

Alone on the other side, Drake sailed north along the South American coast, where he pillaged Spanish settlements and looted every Spanish ship he could. Sailing to Valparaiso, Drake encountered rain, and storms. His three-mast ship was devastated by the journey. The Spaniards were unable to identify the Golden Hind as a pirate ship and fell victim to Drakes attacks. He captured a Spanish Man Of War, in the port of Callo. From the captured ship, Drake learned that the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de la Conception, loaded with treasure, was sailing up the coast to Panama. On the 3rd of March 1579 they sighted the galleon. Drake overtook the heavy galleon. The Golden Hind met the Spanish Galleon with cannon fire, and forced the Galleon to surrender. Drake plundered unimaginable wealth. It took Drakeï¿½s crew four days to transfer all of the treasure from the Galleon to the Golden Hind.. The captured 80 pounds of gold, 20 tons on silver, 13 cases of silver coins, and cases full of pearls and precious stones.

At one point, Drake robbed a llama train, laden with gold and silver. By the time he left the Mexican port of Guatulco, his ship was heavily laden with booty. Drake decided to avoid meeting any Spaniards on his return home, so he decided to sail home, around the world as Ferdinand Magellan had done. He dropped anchor somewhere near San Francisco and was greeted by Miwok Indians, who took Drake and his men for sea gods. Drake named this region New Albion, after the Celtic name for Great Britain and claimed it for Queen Elizabeth. He crossed the Pacific and Indian oceans and reached the Atlantic by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, on the southern tip of Africa. On the 26th of September 1580, the Golden Hind burdened with the holds heavy and precious cargo, sailed to the port of Plymouth after three years of adventures around the world. Queen Elizabeth knighted him for his accomplishments and the treasures he delivered to the British Crown.. Sir Frances Drake later gained even more fame when in 1587 he attacked the Spanish shipyards in Cadiz and, in 1588 directed the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

In August, 1596, Drake began his last trip to the Caribbean, again in search of Spanish treasure. He sailed from Plymouth with a fleet of 26 ships, heading to Panama. Queen Elizabeth, ordered the fleet to go to Porto Rico, to help an English fleet that was in danger. Sir John Hawkins, who was the vice-admiral on this trip, took sick and died and was buried at sea. When the Spaniards heard that Sir Francis Drake was headed their way, they unloaded the treasure from their ships, and sank them in the harbor, preventing Drake from capturing them. He then turned his attention to the Spanish Main, sacking and burning the towns of La Hacha, Rancheria, Santa Marta, and many others. He then attacked and captured Nombre de Diï¿½s. He sent a force of 750 men, under the command of Sir Thomas Baskerville, to follow the Camino Real and march to and take Panama. The Spanish were warned and prepared, and put up a lot of resistance along the way. Baskerville, decided to turn back, after meeting with so much resistance by the Spanish troops that were sent to defend Panama.

When they arrived back in Nombre de Diï¿½s, the city was burning and all the ships in the harbor were burned. Drake then headed to Porto Bello, and was stricken by a tropical disease, "the bloody flux" From Porto Bello, they headed to San Juan de Nicaragua, but were encountered a storm and had to return to Porto Bello. The next day, January 29, 1597, Drake died. on board his flagship Defiance. He was buried at sea, one league off the coast of Puerto Bello, Panama, in a lead coffin. History of The Panama Rail Road The Camino Real The Spanish completed a seven-foot wide road known as the Camino Real (Royal Road) across the isthmus of Panama. They used this route to transport the thousands of tons of gold and silver which they plundered from Peru and Mexico. Along this trail, traces of which can still be followed, gold from Peru was carried by muleback to Spanish galleons waiting on the Atlantic coast.

The increasing importance of the isthmus for transporting treasure and the delay and difficulties posed by the Camino Real inspired surveys ordered by the Spanish crown in the 1520s and 1530s to ascertain the feasibility of constructing a canal. The idea was finally abandoned in mid-century by King Philip II (1556- 98), who concluded that if God had wanted a canal there, He would have built one. Francis Drake From 1572 to 1597, the English buccaneer, Francis Drake was associated with most of the assaults on Panama. Sir Francis Drake, "gentleman pirate and adventurer," was the first bucaneer to attack the fortress at Nombre de Dios. "I have brought you to the mouth of the treasure house of the world," Drake told his men when they made their famous attack upon the King's Treasure House, and the concrete evidence of the truth of this statement they saw lying in heaps of golden and silver bars before them, too heavy for one man to carry. This attack proved unsuccessful because of a wound Drake received. Drake fainted from loss of blood and his men, fearing a Spanish counterattack, suddenly panicked.

They grabbed their fallen leader and fled with virtually none of the loot. Shortly afterward an attempt was made by Drake and his men to intercept and rob the treasure train as it passed across the Isthmus, but this attempt also was unsuccessful. However, Drake and his companions were undaunted and with renewed energy made a subsequent attack upon the treasure train while transiting the Isthmus on the Camino Real. Their plans were well-laid this time, and they succeeded in capturing a large amount of gold. Drake returned to England and shortly afterward in 1597, sailed back to Caribbean waters with a strong naval force. Aboard the graceful Golden Hind, he sailed into the harbor of Nombre de Dios and did not depart until the town was plundered, burned and destroyed. In 1596, on his last trip to the Caribbean, again in search of Spanish loot, Sir Francis Drake was stricken by a tropical disease - "the bloody flux" (perhaps yellow fever) - during a less-than-sucessful expedition against the Spanish in the Caribbean.

On January 28, on board his flagship Defiance, in the pre-dawn hours and after rising from his sickbed intending to don his armor so that he would die as a soldier, Sir Francis Drake passed quietly from this world. He was buried at sea off Puerto Bello, Panama, in a lead coffin. Portobelo With the final destruction of Nombre de Dios by Francis Drake, the atlantic terminus of the trans-isthmian route was moved to the hamlet of Portobelo. One of the best natural harbors anywhere on the Spanish Main (the mainland of Spanish America), overlooking the calm bay discovered and named by Christopher Columbus in 1502. This was probably the best position on the Atlantic coast that could have been chosen as the next stronghold to store the King's gold. Here on the shores of the beautiful landlocked harbor, commanding a full view of the ocean and affording a ready means of intercourse with the interior, traversed by the Camino Real, the Spaniards built a fort they deemed impregnable. Portobelo then became the centre of Spain's commerce in the New World and the site of great ferias. Panama's own contribution to the loading of the fleet was relatively small.

Gold production was never great, and little exportable surplus of agricultural and forest products was available. Nothing was manufactured; in fact, Spain discouraged the production of finished goods. The colony's prosperity, therefore, fluctuated with the volume of trade, made up largely of Peruvian shipments. When the Inca gold was exhausted, great quantities of silver mined in Peru replaced gold in trade for 150 years, supplemented eventually by sugar, cotton, wine, indigo, cinchona, vanilla, and cacao. Old Panama, Oil on canvas by: Edwin Deakin, 1883 --Edmund C. Stedman. Panama's Prosperity at its Peak Despite raids on shipments and ports, the registered legal import of precious metals increased threefold between 1550 and 1600. Panama's prosperity was at its peak during the first part of the seventeenth century. This was the time of the famous ferias (fairs, or exchange markets) of Portobelo, where European merchandise could be purchased to supply the commerce of the whole west coast south of Nicaragua. When a feria ended, Portobelo would revert to its quiet existence as a small seaport and garrison town.

Panama City also flourished on the profits of trade. Following reconstruction after a serious fire in 1644, contemporary accounts credit Panama City with 1,400 residences "of all types" (probably including slave huts); most business places, religious houses, and substantial residences were rebuilt of stone. Panama City was considered, after Mexico City and Lima, the most beautiful and opulent settlement in the West Indies. During the first quarter of the seventeenth century, trade between Spain and the isthmus remained undisturbed. At the same time, England, France, and the Netherlands, one or all almost constantly at war with Spain, began seizing colonies in the Caribbean. Such footholds in the West Indies encouraged the development of the buccaneers--English, French, Dutch, and Portuguese adventurers who preyed on Spanish shipping and ports with the tacit or open support of their governments. Because of their numbers and the closeness of their bases, the buccaneers were more effective against Spanish trade than the English had been during the previous century.

The volume of registered precious metal arriving in Spain fell from its peak in 1600; by 1660 volume was less than the amount registered a century before. Depletion of Peruvian mines, an increase in smuggling, and the buccaneers were causes of the decline. Henry Morgan: Eighty years had passed since Nombre de Dios had been completely destroyed. Many attempts had been made by the English buccaneers and pirates to take Porto Bello, but the guns of the powerful fort had more than justified the Spaniards' belief that their massive fort was capable of repelling attack either by land or by sea. Henry Morgan, had been sold into bondage in Barbados at an early age. His years of hardship had hardened and embittered him. Brooding in a tropical prison he matured in him imagination vast and daring plans to become a pirate -- a terror of the sea. These plans he carried out so successfully that he became one of the greatest characters in the history of sea robbers.

In 1668, after his release from prison, he went to Jamaica, the rendevous of pirates and buccaneers, and from that point he assembled his ships and four hundred and sixty men, "the scum of the seven seas, reckless and ruthles, hardened adventures, a motley crew," and sailing into the harbor of Porto Belo, made his famous and daring attack. The Spaniards, though taken by surprise, made a gallant defense, but they were no match for Morgan and his desperate men. The Governor was killed, all the gold and treasures taken, and for fifteen days Morgan and his companions occupied the city. Morgan and his band of pirates sailed away, (with a promise to return within twelve months and visit Panama city) leaving behind death and destruction, taking with them every vestige of the coveted gold, and Porto Bello still stands, one of the most interesting ruins in the New World. The treasure house is empty, the banquet halls where men "gloried and drank deep" are deserted. The old Fort San Geronimo charged with a lofty mystery of stillness, rich only in romance now, where the wealth once stored was greater than Ophir's hoard.

Still standeth San Lorenzo there, Aye faithful at his post-- Though scoffing trees in every breeze Their prime and vigor boast; His garrison is but the shades Of soldiers of the past, But it pleaseth him, alone and grim, To watch until the last. --James Stanley Gilbert After the destruction of Portobelo, the Spaniards, discouraged but undaunted, decided to abandon their once powerful stronghold and accordingly removed to San Lorenzo, which defended the beautiful Castle Chagres, occupying an incomparable position at the mouth of the Chagres River. When it was decided to make the this point the next base for the King's treasure, the fort was strengthened, enlarged, heavily fortified and strongly garrisoned; and here the treasure, safely guarded by the powerful guns of San Lorenzo, awaiting the arrival of the Plate Fleet to come with its armed convoy to transport the treasure to Spain. In December 1670, Morgan returned to Panama waters and made the famous attack on Fort San Lorenzo. Of the four hundred Spainiards in the fort there were only thirty left and ten of them were wounded.

The ruins of the old fort guarding the Chagres and overlooking in the indefinite distance, the blue water of the Caribbean, rise up majestically from the crest of the steep rock cliff against which the turmoil of the waves beats unceasingly. the once powerful moated fortress, the dungeons and the castle are overgrown with the lament green of the jungle, but still vibrant with memories of a historic past. His great success in accomplishing the fall of San Lorenzo served to stimulate Morgan, to further victories, and as Panama City was the real objective of the expedition, the conquerors began their march across the Isthmus. Ruins of Old Panama The passage throught the jungle was difficult. They could find no provisions on their line of march, and it was a half starved, blood-thirsty army of desperate men that swept down upon the city. On January 29, 1671, Morgan appeared at Panama City.The Spaniards were not prepared for such a deadly onslaught. With 1,400 men he defeated the garrison of 2,600 in pitched battle outside the city, which he then looted.

The officials and citizens fled, some to the country and others to Peru, having loaded their ships with the most important church and government funds and treasure. Panama City was destroyed by fire, probably from blown up powder stores, although the looters were blamed. After 4 weeks, Morgan left with 175 mule loads of loot and 600 prisoners. Old Panama, that populous city containing before its destruction twelve thousand buildings, cathedrals with plate fillings of solid gold, eight monasteries, the Royal Palace of the Viceroy, two hundred palatial residences, the hospital, the King's stable and a slave market, lay in utter ruin. Two years later, a new city was founded at the location of the present-day capital and was heavily fortified. Henry Morgan sailed away victorious, and with his spoils he became a hero. He was knighted and, as His Brittanic Majesty's Governor of Jamaica ended his days honorably in the service of his king. The buccaneer scourge rapidly declined after 1688 mainly because of changing European alliances. By this time Spain was chronically bankrupt; its population had fallen; and it suffered internal government mismanagement and corruption.

Map of Scottish Colony Influenced by buccaneer reports about the ease with which the isthmus could be crossed--which suggested the possibility of digging a canal--William Paterson, founder and ex-governor of the Bank of England, organized a Scottish company to establish a colony in the San Blas area. Paterson landed on the Caribbean coast of the Dariï¿½n late in 1698 with about 1,200 persons. Although well received by the Indians (as was anyone not Spanish), the colonists were poorly prepared for life in the tropics with its attendant diseases. Their notion of trade goods--European clothing, wigs, and English Bibles--was of little interest to the Indians. These colonists gave up after six months, unknowingly passing at sea reinforcements totaling another 1,600 people. The Spanish reacted to these new arrivals by establishing a blockade from the sea. The English capitulated and left in April 1700, having lost many lives, mostly from malnutrition and disease.

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake [ TOP ] History-Sights - People in Our History History | Santo Domingo Invasion | Voyage Maps | Interesting Facts Sir Francis Drake aka Pirate Drake, Privater Drake (1540-1596) Born in Tavistock, Devon, England in either 1541 or 1542. He was the son of Edmund Drake, a farmer later turned preacher. The Drake family fled to Kent during the Roman Catholic uprising of 1549. When Francis, the second son in a large family, was 13 he went to sea on a cargo barge. By the time he was 20 he became master of the ship. When the captain of the ship died Drake assumed command making his first sail to the new world when he was 23. He was involved in some of the first English slave trade expeditions. Loved by Queen Elizabeth 1, Drake went on to become one of the most famous men in Elizabethan times. As a sailor, adventurer, navigator, politician, engineer and landowner, he was a legend in his own lifetime.

A cousin of Francis Drake was given permission from Queen Elizabeth to make his first voyage in 1562 in which Drake accompanied him. He was to bring Africans to the Americas under their own free will. He agreed to this condition but did not do as he said. He captured the Africans, promising them free land and riches in the new world. He sold most of the slaves in what is now known as the Dominican Republic. He returned home with a profit and ships laden with ivory, hides, and sugar. Thus began the British slave trade. When he returned to England Queen Elizabeth was horrified. She said that what he did was detestable and it would call down vengeance from heaven upon all who took part. But, after she saw the money that could be made, she joined in a partnership with Hawkins and even gave him his a new ship called Jesus of Lubeck also known as The Good Ship Jesus It is very ironic that Drakes' cousin and Drake himself were considered to be very religious men. Hawkins required his crew to serve God and to love one another. Drake held services on board his ship twice a day. I cannot understand this, it was OK for him to lie, cheat and steal.

Taking the African people by their lies and false promises. Stealing the belongings of others. And they still considered themselves to be religious. In 1577 Queen Elizabeth I commissioned three men to sail around the world. On November 15, 1577. The Queen's Corsair consisting of the captains Sir Francis Drake (whom she called lovingly, "my dear pirate"), Drake at age of 43, with the coat of arms conferred on him on April 4, 1581, after he was knighted at Deptford, on the deck of the Golden Hind, the first English ship to go around the world. To see a larger view of this picture and to read "Sir Francis Drake : A Pictorial Biography with an Historical Introduction by Lt. Commander David W. Waters & Richard Boulind and a Detailed Catalogue of the Author's Collection" in the rare book section of the US Library of Congerss. John Winter, and Thomas Doughty set sail on their voyages. In time Drake became the leader of the group. He was to attack all Spanish settlements. Drake sailed to America with 40 ships and more than 2,000 soldiers.

He attacked the Spanish ports throughout the Caribbean. Drake sailed his ship "The Golden Hind"on December 13, 1577. Francis Drake became the second man to sail around the world and the first Englishman to accomplish this feat on September 26, 1580. When he returned to England he presented the queen a very large bounty. Now she really loved her "dear pirate". On April 4, 1581 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth on the deck of the Golden Hind. This act making Francis Drake become Sir Francis Drake, mayor of Plymouth and a Parliament member. The Queen also presented him with a special sword. Because of all the attention she paid to Drake others followed in his footsteps and became privateers also. Francis Drake hated the Spaniards and their Catholic religion, probably having to do with his families flight from their home when he was young. He devoted his life to fighting against the Spanish and all they controlled. They called him a pirate but England called him a sailor and privateer. January 1586 Sir Francis Drake landed at the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo. Bringing the entire city to its knees.

His invasion and demolition weakened the Spanish dominion over the island. For more than 50 years everything was abandoned and left to the mercy of the pirates. Drake drove the Spanish garrison out of Santo Domingo. He burned the city methodically, piece by piece, until he received a ransom of 30,000 crowns, not what he asked for but he settled on this ransom. It is also told that the people of Santo Domingo gave him all their treasures. After much persuasion by the towns people, and when there was nothing else to take, Drake left the ruined city. The church Santa Marï¿½a, the first church in the new world, was ransacked and burnt. Treasures stolen and records burnt. The graveyard behind the chapel and its records were destroyed also. Leaving no record of who was interred there. The San Francisco Monastery was also significantly damaged in Drakes 1568 invasion on the city. After his invasion on Santo Domingo he moved on to Cartagena (now known as Columbia) and St. Augustine (in Florida). Because of his and others acts of piracy the war between England and Spain was started.

Drake sailed directly west from Santiago in the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa. The first port Drake reached in the West Indies was Santo Domingo in Hispaniola, present-day Haiti and Dominican Republic. This image shows the English fleet in the bay, and the infantry battalions attacking the town. This map represent the first printed view of this locality. To see this map and more about the Caribbean Raid +click image to enlarge Sir Francis Drake map of Santo Domingo. Sir Francis Drake returned to England, got married and lived on a large estate outside of London. On January 28, 1596, he died aboard his ship the Defiance. He was struck by a tropical disease that he probably picked up during his last trip to the Americas. He died and was buried at sea. It was said that he got out of his deathbed early the morning of his death and tried to put on his suit of armor. He wanted to die as a soldier. Sir Francis Drake died of dysentery when he was about 55. He was buried at sea in a lead coffin off Puerto Bello to the sound of trumpets and cannons.

Other interesting facts: *There were many different types and classes of what we clump together as pirates now. - Pirate is a robber and destroyer of ships at sea. - Buccaneer was originally an inhabitant of Hispaniola. The name coming from a Taino word boucan or barbecue. Because these people were said to prepare their meat in this manner they were originally called boucaniers. - Privateer was a privately owned ship and crew hired by a national government during wartime to plunder the ships of an enemy nation. - Corsair was a Mediterranean pirate of the 16th century. *The Golden Age of Piracy came about soon after the discovery of the New World and continued for about 250 years. *When the Pope divided the New World between Spain and Portugal in 1494 the other European nations were not very happy. They wanted some of the stolen Aztec gold also. War was a given. *The New World coast from South America through the Caribbean to Northern Florida was known as "The Spanish Main". *In 1630 a treaty was signed with Spain enabling the English and French to colonize some of the lands along the Spanish Main.

*One of the main sources of food the settlers consumed on the island of Hispaniola were the wild pigs originally introduced by the Spanish. The pigs were barbecued on open fires called buccans or boucan. This is how the settlers got the title buccaneers. *The Spanish were getting a little nervous because of all the buccaneers on Hispaniola. They sent hunters to kill all the pigs which in turn made the buccaneers turn to piracy because their food source was gone. Later Spain realized they made a dire mistake. *Many of the buccaneers (they called themselves Brethren of the Coast) moved on to a new island named Tortuga/ Turtle. It is located off the coast on the Haitian side of the island. This island became a sanctuary for the Buccaneers because of its perfect habitat and location. *Not all pirates were fierce outlaws. Many were just sailors trying to make a living the only way they were able. *Many things about how the ship would be run was agreed upon by all before the ship left port.

They decided where to sail, how the bounty would be divided (usually the most going to the captain, then the skilled labor on the ship and the least amounts going to the laborers), and who would be captain. *Sir Francis Drake introduced pipe smoking to Elizabethan age of England. *Drake named Virginia in United States after Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen Other famous pirates I found that visited the Santo Domingo colony included *Blackbeard - (Edward Thatch or Teach) Samana Bay in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) in 1718? *William Kidd also known as The Unlucky Pirate *Sir Henry Morgan known as The Pirate King (1654 in Hispanola) For more information on Sir Francis Drake check out these web sites : Pirate History: Famous Pirates, Privateers, Buccaneers, and Corsairs D-F 1652 - 1715 English Pirate William Dampier came from Somerset, England, and fought alongside buccaneers in Central America. Marooned on the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, he escaped in a canoe and wrote about his travels in "Voyage Around the World" in 1697.

Dampier was a brilliant navigator and later explored the waters around Australia. Simon Danziger or Dansker AKA Dali Rais or Captain Devil Dutch Privateer Died 1611 Danziger sailed out of Marseilles, France, in the 1600's, but took up service with the Barbary corsairs. He captured many Christian ships and taught the Muslims seafaring skills required for the North Atlantic waters. Danziger then changed sides again only to be seized and hanged in Tunis. Michael de Basco de Basco assisted Francois l'Olonaise as land captain in the attacks and conquests of Maracaibo and Gibraltar. Howell Davis Welsh Pirate Active 1718 - 1719 Davis was a likable swindler and pirate who was admired by his crew for his courage. He often posed as a merchant or pirate hunter in order to size up his opponents. He plundered islands in the Bahamas, and after attacking slaving ships off Africa's Guinea Coast, he was eventually killed in an ambush at the Portuguese colony of Principe. Following the incident, Davis's crew avenged his death, burning the fort and shelling the town.

La Marquise de Frèsne Benito de Soto Portuguese Pirate In 1827, de Soto sailed from Brazil to Africa aboard the Defense de Pedro on a mission to seize a vessel and turn pirate. After picking up a consignment of slaves off the African coast, de Soto led his co-conspirators in a bloody mutiny, throwing the ship's captain and crew overboard to drown. De Soto then took the ship to the West Indies and sold the slaves. De Soto renamed the sleek brigantine the "Black Joke" and terrorized the Caribbean and the South Atlantic. He became so notorious for his brutal ways that ships sailing from South America refused to sail alone and formed convoys around St. Helena in order to attempt safe passage. In 1832, he overtook an British barque named the Morning Star, blasting the unarmed trade ship full of holes. Murdering its captain, plundering the cargo, then brutalizing the women and throwing them and all its other passengers into the hold, the Black Joke sailed away, sure that the Morning Star would soon sink. The crew managed to escape by a miracle, repaired the ship and left the scene.

Meanwhile, De Soto continued to pillage his way back toward Spain until his ship met with foul weather and was found floundering along the rocky coast near Cadiz, Spain. Posing as honest sailors, the crew was rescued, but their true nature was soon discovered when their booty was examined. De Soto managed to evade capture and escaped to Gibraltar, but arrived in port at the same time that the plundered Morning Star pulled in. Recognized by a passenger from that ship, he was tried, found guilty and shipped to Cadiz, Spain, to be hanged along with his crew. Gallows were erected on one of the docks. As was the custom, the condemned man was brought to gallows in a donkey-pulled cart, riding atop his own coffin. Upon arrival de Soto proved himself to be as brave and defiant in death as he was in piracy. Rather than allow somebody else to hang him, he stood on top of his coffin, calmly adjusted the noose around his neck and smiled to the crowd as he exclaimed "Adios Todos!" (roughly, so long everybody) then jumped from his cart to a slow painful death. Anne Dieu-le-veut English Privateer c.

1540 - 1596 Famous for his circumnavigation of the world in the sixteenth century, Sir Francis Drake was an English privateer, navigator, slave trader, politician and civil engineer of the Elizabethan era. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He died of dysentery after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1596. His exploits were semi-legendary and made him a hero to the English but to the Spaniards he was equated with the devil. He was known as "El Dragon" (an obvious play on his family name) for his actions. King Philip II actually offerred a reward of 20,000 ducats (about $10 million by 2007 standards) for his life. Many a city in the 16th century was ransomed for less. While his passing was mourned in England, there were celebrations in Spain and its dominions. To read the rest of this account of Drake's life, go to Wikipedia.org Rene Duguay-Trouin 1673 - 1736 This Breton corsair from St.

Malo became so famous for his attacks on British shipping that he was made a French naval commander and was given many public honors. Peter Easton Active 1607 - 1612 Easton was an English pirate who commmanded 17 ships and carried out attacks from Newfoundland to Weat Africa. Having won a fortune, he settled in the South of France and was made a Marquis. Edward England British Pirate Active 1718 - 1720 Captain England was an officer on a Jamaican sloop which was captured by Christopher Winter, after which he joined the pirates. An English privateer, Woodes Rogers, attacked the pirates stronghold in the Bahamas. Captain England managed to escape and while sailing along the coast of Africa and the Azores and Cape Verde islands, he took many prizes. Captain England traded his sloop for a larger ship and renamed her the Pearl and returned to Africa in the spring of 1719. He was very successful, plundering two dozen ships. One of which the pirates kept, renaming her the Victory in which Captain John Taylor was made the captain. In 1720, the Pearl and Victory sailed along the Malabar coast of India.

It was during this time that the Pearl was exchanged for a ship armed with 34 guns which was renamed the Fancy. Captain England then sailed for Johanna Island near Madagascar and they encountered three large English and Dutch ships which were trading with the East Indies. Two of the ships escaped but the Cassandra captained by James Macrae stayed to engage Captain England's force. A fierce battle lasted for several hours. Both the Cassandra and the Fancy were grounded, but continued to fire upon one another relentlessly. Leaving behind its cargo, Captain Macrae fled to the shore. The Cassandra and Captain England's forces had suffered many casualties. After 10 days of hiding, Captain Macrae went aboard the Victory hoping for mercy. Captain Taylor wanted to kill him, but Captain England wanted to spare his life. Captain England was able to persuade Taylor after several drinks of rum. Captain Macrae was given the badly damaged Fancy. Captain Macrae sailed for Bombay and eventually became the governor of Madras in 1725. He remained in charge until 1730 collecting much bribe money during his time in office. Captain England's crew was much grieved by the decision to let Captain Macrae go and turned against Captain England.

Captain England was removed as captain and put ashore on Mauritius with three others, eventually making his way to Saint Augustine's Bay where he would die a pauper having lived off the charity of other pirates. Eustace AKA the Black Monk Active 1200's This Flemish born monk turned outlaw and raided shipping in the English Channel. He was said to have a pact with the Devil and the power to make his ship invisible. But he was defeated in a sea battle in 1217 and had his head cut off. John Evans Active 1720's Captain John Evans was a Welsh sailor who ended up in Port Royal, Jamaica. In 1722, he and his shipmates raided the Jamaican coast from a piragua and captured many ships. Evans was shot in a quarrel with his bosun off Grand Cayman.

Henry Every AKA John Avery, Long Ben and others Circa 1695 Every (also known as John Avery, John Every, Long Ben, Benjamin Bridgeman, Captain Bridgeman) was one of Britain's most well-known pirates of the late 17th century, the model for Daniel Defoe's hero in Life, Adventures, and Piracies, of the Famous Captain Singleton (1720). Every served in the Royal Navy and on merchant, buccaneer and slave ships, before beginning a life of piracy about 1691. In 1694, joining a ship in the service of Spain, he helped plot a mutiny and was elected captain of his new pirate ship, renamed the "Fancy." After preying on various ships en route around Africa, he headed to the mouth of the Red Sea where levied tolls on all ships passing in or out, especially those of Mughal India and the East India Company. He eventually ended up in the West Indies, where his ship was either sold or destroyed in a storm. Afterward his crew broke up and several were captured and hanged, Every returned to England, was cheated out of his fortune, and eventually died in poverty.

Alexandre Exquemelin Active 1660's - 1690's Probably born in Normandy, France, Exquemelin was a surgeon who went to the Carribean with the French West India company and joined the Tortuga buccaneers. Back in Europe he wrote the famous "Bucaniers of America" published in 1678, and then returned to the Spanish Main in the 1690's. Joseph Farrell Circa 1694 British Pirate Farrell commanded the Portsmouth Adventurer until it was shipwrecked. He worked with both William Want and Henry Every in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. John Fenn British Pirate Active 1721-1723 Fenn was Thomas Anstis' gunner (and was missing one hand) prior to the taking and becoming the captain of the Morning Star. When the Morning Star was wrecked off the Grand Caymens, he was made captain of another ship before being captured on Tobago in the spring of 1723, and hanged on Antegoa.

Jean Fleury French Corsair Died 1527 One of the first French corsairs to attack a Spanish treasure fleet, Fleury was a privateer in the service of the Viscount of Dieppe. William Fly Boatswain William Fly, while on board a slave ship, led a mutiny and murdered its captain. Once in charge, he renamed the ship "Fame's Revenge". Captain Fly was notorious for going into fits of rage, swearing, and being a brute. He was known for at times whipping his captives an excruciating 100 lashes. At the end of his one month piratical stint along the New England coast, he was captured off the coast of Newburyport and brought to justice in Boston where he was hanged at Nix's Mate Island. He is said to have placed his own noose around his neck while cursing the executioner for not knowing his trade. Freeman British Pirate Active 1663 - 1665 In 1663, Captain Morris was one among many pirates (Captain Sir Henry Morgan, David Marteen, Captain Rackman and Captain Freeman) who was involved in raids against Mexico and Nicaragua.

Because it was forbidden to raid Spanish possessions at that time, those involved pretended to be privateering under the commission of the Jamaica governor. In Mexico, they had anchored their ships at the mouth of the Grijalva River and marched 50 miles inland to Villahermosa, the capital of the Tabasco Province. They took the garrison by complete surprise. Returning to the coast, they found that their ships had been taken over by Spaniards. They stole 6 small boats and paddled south, stopping to sack a small town along the way. They then went to Trujillo, Honduras, where they seized a ship at anchor, proceeded to the mouth of the San Juan river where they hid their ships, then using the small boats they had captured, rowed 100 miles up-river to Granada on Lake Nicaragua. After the sack of Granada, the pirates went back to Port Royal, Jamaica, arriving there in 1665. This was an unparalleled voyage, consisting of several thousand miles, reaching far inland, and the siege of three towns of high importance. Captain Morris would further be part of Morgan's raids on Portobello in 1668 and Maracaibo in 1669.

After a peace treaty had been signed between England and Spain, In 1671, Captain Morris and Lawrence Prince led an assault on Panama assault commissioned by the governor of Jamaica. The governor was then arrested and replaced by Thomas Lynch, and he in turn arrested Captain Henry Morgan. Lynch gave Morris a frigate and ordered him to seek out and arrest any captains refusing to quit their piratical activities. Antonio Fuët Active 1660's - 1690's This French pirate from Narbonne was known as Captain Moidore. Once, when he was attacking a ship, Fuet ran out of shot and had to load his cannon with "moidores" which were a type of gold coin used in Portugal and Brazil. BBC - History - Sir Francis Drake z Sir Francis Drake © Drake was an Elizabethan sailor and navigator, and the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Francis Drake was born in Tavistock, Devon in around 1540 and went to sea at an early age. In 1567, Drake made one of the first English slaving voyages as part of a fleet led by his cousin John Hawkins, bringing African slaves to work in the 'New World'.

All but two ships of the expedition were lost when attacked by a Spanish squadron. The Spanish became a lifelong enemy for Drake and they in turn considered him a pirate. In 1570 and 1571, Drake made two profitable trading voyages to the West Indies. In 1572, he commanded two vessels in a marauding expedition against Spanish ports in the Caribbean. He saw the Pacific Ocean and captured the port of Nombre de Dios on the Isthmus of Panama. He returned to England with a cargo of Spanish treasure and a reputation as a brilliant privateer. In 1577, Drake was secretly commissioned by Elizabeth I to set off on an expedition against the Spanish colonies on the American Pacific coast. He sailed with five ships, but by the time he reached the Pacific Ocean in October 1578 only one was left, Drake's flagship the Pelican, renamed the Golden Hind. To reach the Pacific, Drake became the first Englishman to navigate the Straits of Magellan. He travelled up the west coast of South America, plundering Spanish ports. He continued north, hoping to find a route across to the Atlantic, and sailed further up the west coast of America than any European.

Unable to find a passage, he turned south and then in July 1579, west across the Pacific. His travels took him to the Moluccas, Celebes, Java and then round the Cape of Good Hope. He arrived back in England in September 1580 with a rich cargo of spices and Spanish treasure and the distinction of being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Seven months later, Elizabeth knighted him aboard the Golden Hind, to the annoyance of the king of Spain. In 1585, Drake sailed to the West Indies and the coast of Florida where he sacked and plundered Spanish cities. On his return voyage, he picked up the unsuccessful colonists of Roanoke Island off the coast of the Carolinas, which was the first English colony in the New World. In 1587, war with Spain was imminent and Drake entered the port of Cadiz and destroyed 30 of the ships the Spanish were assembling against the British. In 1588, he was a vice admiral in the fleet that defeated the Armada. Drake's last expedition, with John Hawkins, was to the West Indies.

The Spanish were prepared for him this time, and the venture was a disaster. Drake died on 28 January 1596 of dysentery off the coast of Portobelo, Panama. Hawkins died at the same time, and their bodies were buried at sea.

Question: From what disease did the English buccaneer, Sir Francis Drake, die?
Answer: DYSENTRY